POSI 2310 Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence

Modern lobbyists primarily concentrate on providing lawmakers with ______.

arguments and evidence for their position

______ goods are those that belong to all people and cannot be withheld on an individual basis, such as clean air or water.

collective

The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include ______.

collective goods

______ refers broadly to efforts by groups to influence public policy through contact with public officials:

Lobbying

Which one of these groups is an example of a citizens' group?

the National Organization for Women

Lobbyists generally direct their efforts at lawmakers who ______.

are inclined to support their group or cause

A person known as a(n) rider derives a benefit without contributing to its achievement.

free

Rather than using threats, interest groups tend to influence lawmakers by providing them with ______.

information that supports the group's policy positions

Interest groups rely on what two main lobbying strategies? (Choose every correct answer.)

inside lobbying outside lobbying

True or false: Those interest groups that are poorly organized run the risk of being ignored politically.

true

Among economic groups, which type are the most numerous?

business groups

The interest-group system in the United States over-represents ______.

business interests

Which type of group typically has to deal with the problem of free riders?

citizens' groups

Which of the following types of interest groups is not classified as an economic interest group?

consumer

Which of the following help interest groups participate more effectively in group politics?

contacts money skills

Interest groups that are not directly involved in litigation may file amicus curiae briefs to ______.

encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause

Which of the following are ways in which members of Congress benefit from ties to lobbyists?

Lobbyists provide information on specific pieces of legislation. Lobbyists testify at committee hearings. Lobbyists identify bills that need their attention.

______ lobbying includes initiating letter-writing campaigns and influencing the news media.

Outside

_______ goods refer to benefits that are given directly to particular individuals as a result of belonging to an interest group.

Private

In the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the corporate tax cut is permanent, whereas the individual tax cut has an end date. This difference illustrates the fact that:

getting smaller, more focused business groups to work together on an issue can be highly effective.

An important feature of private goods for an economic group is that ______

they are benefits the group can withhold

When the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act was passed, individual taxpayers clearly benefited, receiving an average annual tax cut of nearly $1,300, increasing their after-tax income by 1.7 percent.

True

A group that raises and spends money for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election is known as ______.

a political action committee

Which of the following types of interest groups is classified as an economic type?

agriculture

Jobs, higher wages, and tax incentives are all examples of ______ incentives to joining interest groups.

material

Political scientist Mancur Olson argues that small interest groups can be more powerful than larger groups as long as they are more ______.

organized

Interest group influence is particularly strong among ______ agencies that are responsible for overseeing the nation's business sectors.

regulatory

Agency capture refers to the situation where Blank______ side with the industry they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public that they are supposed to protect.

regulatory agencies

An interest group is an organization that ______. Multiple choice question.

seeks to influence government policy

Which type of interest group represents business firms of a particular kind, such as insurance companies?

trade association